Fall is the season when Hollywood bigwigs roll out their annual Oscar contenders, vying to stay fresh in the minds of judges. It’s also a season for great film festivals on the Seacoast and across New Hampshire, showcasing everything from short, local, independent works to major, star-studded, international features. Here are the upcoming highlights.

Telluride by the Sea, Friday to Sunday, Sept. 14-16
For its 14th local sampling of Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival, The Music Hall will once again present six Telluride films in its historic Portsmouth theater. A theme of this year’s lineup is historically-based features, but there are also a couple of dramas and a documentary on tap. Individual tickets and weekend and patron passes are available.

Perhaps the most anticipated film on this year’s slate is “Hyde Park on Hudson,” starring Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The film is set in 1939, when Roosevelt and his family invite England’s King George VI (subject of the 2010 Telluride film “The King’s Speech”) to rural America, with comical but politically significant results. Also featuring Laura Linney, the screening takes place on Saturday at 6:15 p.m.

Another highlight is “Midnight’s Children,” based on the acclaimed novel by Salman Rushdie (who will visit The Music Hall himself in October). It’s about a boy born into poverty at the hour of India’s self-declared independence from British rule, but accidentally switched into a family of wealth and prosperity. It screens on Friday at 7 p.m.

On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., The Music Hall will show French film “Rust and Bone,” about a strained romance between a poor, street-fighting thug and a free-spirited dolphin trainer who suffers a devastating injury. It’s directed by Jacque Audiard, who also helmed the popular 2009 Telluride entry “A Prophet.”

Another historical selection this year is the Danish film “A Royal Affair,” screening on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Chronicling a scandalous chapter in Denmark’s history, it takes place around 1770, as King Christian VII struggles with mental illness and his trusted physician Johann Struensee begins an adulterous love affair with Queen Caroline Mathilde.

Screening twice on Sunday, at 10:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., is “Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,” part of Telluride’s 2012 tribute to prolific writer, director, producer and cult film pioneer Roger Corman. The documentary features interviews with actors and filmmakers like Paul W.S. Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert DeNiro, Peter Fonda, Pam Grier, Ron Howard, Eli Roth, Martin Scorcese and others.   

Rounding out the festival—and its historical fare—is “No,” a Chilean film set in 1988 as voters in Chile prepare to hit the polls and decide the future of brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet. The film follows ad executive René Saavedra, who uses his glitzy, pop-driven advertising style to construct a media campaign against Pinochet, endangering himself and his family in the process. It stars Gael García Bernal, of 2004 Telluride film “The Motorcycle Diaries.”

In addition to the main film selections, the festival will present “TFF Past Gems” for pass holders at The Music Hall Loft on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a Patron Party at Radici on Friday night and a Wrap Party at the Portsmouth Brewery on Sunday night, along with other special events at local restaurants.

For a full schedule, tickets and more information, visit www.themusichall.org.

New Hampshire Film Festival, Thursday to Sunday, Oct. 11-14
Celebrating its 12th anniversary this year, the New Hampshire Film Festival will again bring thousands of cinema-lovers to downtown Portsmouth for four days of hand-selected independent film. This year’s festival brought in record submissions of more than 750 films, a selection of which will be shown at venues around downtown Portsmouth, including The Music Hall, The Music Hall Loft, The Moffatt-Ladd House, and the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, plus panels and workshops at the Discover Portsmouth Center. In addition to screenings of local and international films, guests will have opportunities to meet the filmmakers during after-parties at local restaurants. Tickets to individual events, day passes, all-weekend passes and VIP passes will be available this month. Visit www.nhfilmfestival.com for updates and more information. 

SNOB Film Festival, Thursday to Sunday, Nov. 8-11
First held a decade ago, The Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival is the Granite State’s grassroots celebration of independent film, offering features, comedies, dramas, documentaries, animation, shorts and—a new category this year—“Trailers Without Films.” Held at Red River Theatres in Concord, the festival begins on Thursday night with an opening reception, a special tie-in film, and a preview of the weekend lineup. Two full days of cinema follow, along with some special events, including SNOB’s Twisted Tales and X-treme films on Friday night. An event for filmmakers will take place on Saturday, along with Kids North of Boston, an independent film fest for kids. The entertainment continues on Sunday afternoon, concluding late in the evening with an awards presentation. A complete schedule and film titles will be announced in October, at which time tickets will be available. Visit www.snobfilmfestival.com or find the event on Facebook for updates and more information.